This invention relates to a propelling device for balls and the like. More particularly, the device is contemplated for use in pitching or striking, such as batting, an object such as a ball or clay pidgeon so that the object becomes a projectile which is propelled through space.
With the present device and in the case of a ball, it may be pitched or batted toward a person for practice batting or catching. A clay pidgeon may also be pitched for target shooting practice.
Prior devices have been developed which will perform at least some of the aforementioned functions, as per the above-identified patents. Some of them utilize a batting arm which is connected to a torsion spring wind-up mechanism which, when released, causes the arm to suddenly accelerate to engage the projectile and project it through space. Some of these prior devices also are adjustable to selectively vary the timing between each sudden arm acceleration so that a plurality of projectiles can be pitched at short or long intervals. However, for a particular setting, the interval is always the same.
The present invention is directed to a unique improvement over prior known devices.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, means are provided to release the wound-up arm at random intervals so that the operator can never be certain as to when the object is going to be propelled. Thus, the operator must always be on his guard, whether he is practicing batting, catching or shooting. In the present embodiment, the wound-up arm is first held and then released from a freely rotatable cam, the surface of which assumes random positions caused by spinning of the cam at the time of the previous release of the arm from the cam.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the amount of wind-up torsion and thus the acceleration of the released arm are dependent on the random wind-up time interval, and are thus also random in nature. Thus, the speed of propulsion of the object randomly varies as well as its timing.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, means may be provided to constantly vary the angle of the accelerating arm at the moment of release of a pitched object. Since the time of arm release from the cam randomly varies, so does the moment of object release and the arm's attendant angle, thus providing a random angle of projection of the object.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, and when a ball is to be pitched, means may be provided to randomly cause the ball to reverse spin upon release from the arm, the velocity of spin also being random in accordance with the particular speed of the arm at the moment of ball release.